Helion: The Future of Nuclear Fusion Energy

By: Max H.

Eastside Prep

Helion, a nuclear energy startup out of Redmond Washington has been sending ripples through the world of nuclear energy, leading the fusion sector with their newest reactor being the first to reach near the breakeven point of energy spent and energy won. It has also been largely funded by some of the biggest names currently. It has been funded heavily by big names including Bill gates and Jeff Bezos but has also gotten a 375 million USD investment from Sam Altman, the founder of Open AI, aka Chat GPT.

Helion is the first nuclear fusion energy company to also create a compact and non-radioactive reactor. The main upside of nuclear fusion energy is that it cannot go wrong, meaning that it cannot result in a chain reaction which cannot be controlled, and it can be disabled at the flick of a switch Additionally, fusion energy does not require ultra rare materials such as uranium or plutonium. Instead, Helion used Deuterium, which can be found in any water, and Helium 3 which can be very easily produced, and neither of which have radioactive byproducts—a significant breakthrough in the safety of nuclear energy production.

Delving into the business side, Helion is not only backed by investments, but also has a deal with Microsoft to start with a minimum shipment to Microsoft of 50MWh of electricity in 2028 when the first reactor will go online. This might seem like a small sum for the vast consumer the Microsoft HQ in Redmond is at about 19 million MWh of electricity a year (FY2022). For a startup company such as Helion which hasn’t even had its IPO (Initial Public Offering) yet, this is a huge step towards growth, as well as a starting point for many more offers to come.

Since Helion offers the most reliable, compact, and reliable nuclear fusion systems currently available, it is a serious consideration for both private companies and more widespread commercial use. As Helion says, “The development of a commercial fusion power facility is a crucial step in the transition to a sustainable energy future and will not only help Microsoft to achieve its goal of being carbon negative by 2030 but will also support the development of a new clean energy source for the world.” The key word to focus on in this statement is the global applicability, that this energy source is viable for the whole world and is capable of supplying carbon neutral, safe, and reliable energy. All of this has drawn the attention of companies worldwide to Helion, setting the floor for many future investments to come.

Helion has also presented a very promising, and impressive valuation growth throughout its history, going from a valuation of 20.8 million USD in 2014, to a valuation of 3.7 billion USD in 2021, showing the potential of the fusion energy market88. A sector which has been backed by some names such as Chevron and Alphabet (google).

There are currently multiple platforms on which pre-IPO investment is possible for Helion, however Helion has not yet released their IPO date. This provides a slight issue for people looking to invest in Helion. However, with its availability within sight it could present a great opportunity for investors interested in benefiting from this company at the forefront of nuclear fusion.